Aleksander Sekulic, new Barça coach until 2028

FC Barcelona announced this Wednesday the hiring of Slovenian coach Aleksander Sekulic as the new coach of the first basketball team, who at 48 years old signs a contract until June 30, 2028 to replace Xavi Pascual on the Blaugrana bench.

“Aleksander Sekulic will be the new Barça basketball coach. FC Barcelona and Sekulic have reached an agreement for the incorporation of the Slovenian coach as the new head of the Barça bench,” the club announced in a statement, which noted that the official signing and presentation of the new coach will take place in the coming days.

Sekulic, who will become the first Slovenian coach in the history of the section, will arrive at Barça after coaching Dubai BC during the last months of last season, with whom he debuted in the Euroleague and won the ABA League, the first title in the history of the Emirati club, after beating Partizan Belgrade in the final.

He has extensive experience on European benches after starting his career in different clubs in Slovenia, combining roles as head and assistant coach. He conquered the Czech league with ERA Nymburk in the 2021/22 season. He later coached the Russian Lokomotiv Kuban between 2022 and 2024 and Zenit Saint Petersburg during the 2025/26 season, before accepting the challenge of Dubai BC last April.

In addition to his club experience, Sekulic is the current coach of Slovenia, a position he has held since 2020. Under his direction, the Slovenian team managed to qualify for the Olympic Games for the first time and reached fourth place in Tokyo 2020, while previously, as an assistant coach, he was part of the coaching staff that won the 2017 Eurobasket.

With the arrival of Sekulic, Barça completes one of the most important movements of a summer marked by a profound renewal of the squad. The club has already incorporated center Josh Nebo, point guards Umoja Gibson and Justin Robinson, forward Agustín Ubal, power forward Olivier Nkamhoua and forward Stanley Umude to face a new stage with the aim of competing for titles again.